Paris 2024 Wrestling Day 3 Preview: GR 67kg and 87kg; WW 53kg

Wednesday, July 24, 2024 - 09:49 By Eric Olanowski

PARIS, France (July 24) --- Two-thirds of the returning Greco-Roman Olympic champions -- Zhan BELENIUK (UKR) and Luis ORTA (CUB) -- along with the wrestler holding the world's longest win streak among active wrestlers, will compete on the third day in Paris 2024 when GR 67kg and 87kg and WW 53kg takes center stage at Champ de Mars Arena.

Beleniuk is a two-time Olympic medalist, having won gold in Tokyo and silver in Rio. The 33-year-old is on a mission to make history in Paris and become Ukraine's first-ever two-time Olympic champ. Before Beleniuk's win at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, Ukraine was 0-3 in Olympic finals and were still searching for someone to accompany the 1996 Atlanta Games 90kg gold medalist Vyatsheslav OLEYNIK (UKR) in the history books.

PARIS 2024 SCHEDULE | PARIS 2024 NEWS

Orta moved up from his Tokyo Olympic weight of 60kg to 67kg and is on a quest to join Filiberto ASCUY and Mijain LOPEZ as Cuba's only multiple-time Olympic champs.

In women's wrestling, Akari FUJINAMI (JPN) will look to extend her world-best 130-match win streak against the 53kg field.

Zhan BELENIUK (UKR) won the gold medal at 87kg in Tokyo. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Martin Gabor)

GR 87kg: Beleniuk up against packed field

It's not often that the reigning Olympic champion heads into a competition as an underdog, but that's the case when five world champs are in one bracket. Besides Ukraine's reigning Olympic champion Beleniuk, the other world title holders in 87kg include David LOSONCZI (HUN), Ali CENGIZ (TUR), Lasha GOBADZE (GEO) and Rafig HUSEYNOV (AZE).

Beleniuk will have to overcome dark horses Aleksandr KOMAROV (SRB), Semen NOVIKOV (BUL) and Turpal BISULTANOV (DEN) to become Ukraine's first-ever two-time Olympic gold medalist.

Cengiz won the outright world title in Belgrade, beating Beleniuk and Losonczi. However, he's since taken a step back to reality, going 5-3 in his last two competitions. Out of the three losses he's taken this season, two came against wrestlers he could face in Paris -- Komarov and Losonczi.

Cengiz lost to Komarov in the European finals before falling to Losonczi at the Hungarian Ranking Series event. Losonczi, the other half of the 2023 87kg world champions, followed a similar path as Cengiz during the first few months of the 2024 season.

After ending 2023 on a 14-match win streak, Losonczi lost his first match of the season to Alan OSTAEV (AIN) at the Zagreb Open Ranking Series event. The 23-year-old Hungarian rebounded at the Hungarian Ranking Series event, beating Olympians Cengiz and Nursultan TURSYNOV (KAZ) before dropping out his of his finals match against Semen NOVIKOV (BUL).

Rafig HUSEYNOV (AZE) will be hoping to add a second Olympic medal to his resume. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Huseynov, a world champion in 2021 and '23, saved Azerbaijan's Paris hopes at the last moment, replacing No. 6 Islam ABBASOV (AZE) at 87kg for the final Olympic Qualifier.

The Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist at 77kg, bumped up to 82kg, where he remained for the last three seasons, winning two world titles and a European gold. But at 36, Huseynov will return to Azerbaijan's lineup for one final run at an Olympic title.

With Huseynov being new to the category, he remains the question mark of the weight. Alireza MOHMADIPIANI (IRI) and Gobadze have wrestled the Azeri before with Huseynov beating Mohamadipiani in last year's World Championships final and he defeated Gobadze to qualify Azerbaijan for Paris 2024.

Lasha GOBADZE (GEO) will be one of the darkhorses at 87kg in Paris. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Gobadze, the 2019 world champion, was a late addition to the entry list. He missed out on punching Georgia's ticket through the qualification competitions but earned an allocation after the Neutral Athletes dropped out. Gobadze has the talent to beat anyone in the world. In the last few years, since leaping 82kg to 87kg, the Georgian has beaten many top-tier guys who will also be at the Games. His previous wins include Cengiz and Bisultanov. On the other hand, he recently lost to Huseynov and Cengiz.

Komarov won the European Championships this year with wins over Beleniuk, Abbasov and Cengiz. He will be the biggest threat to make a run for the gold medal.

GR 67kg: New weight, old habits for Orta

Luis Orta has been a man on a mission since his disappointing seventh-place finish at the 2022 World Championships. He's turned his fortunes around, positioning himself to become Cuba's third-ever two-time Olympic champ. Since that blunder in Belgrade, Orta has gone 29-2, winning gold medals at the World Championships, Pan-Am Championships, Pan-Am Games, Central American and Caribbean Games and Hungarian Ranking Series. More importantly, his last two losses came at the hands of HUSIYUETU (CHN), who missed out on making the Olympic Games.

Of the 16 wrestlers in the field, Orta has at least one win over half of the entries. He's already beaten Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE), Andres MONTANO (ECU), Amantur ISMAILOV (KGZ), Mate NEMES (SRB), Souleymen NASR (TUN), Nestor ALMANZA (CHI), Kyotaro SOGABE (JPN) and Saeid ESMAEILI (IRI).

Orta has already bested Nemes and Jafarov, his most credentialed challengers. He defeated Jafarov twice last season and beat 2022 world champion Nemes in the quarterfinal of the 2023 World Championships.

Parviz NASIBOV (UKR) is the returning silver medalist at 67kg.(Photo: United World Wrestling / Dogukan Karadag)

He is yet to face two major threats: Olympic medalists Parviz NASIBOV (UKR) and Mohamed ELSAYED (EGY). After seeing what the Ukrainian has been able to do over the last few years, Orta will be more threatened by Nasibov than Elsayed.

Nasibov, the Tokyo runner-up, has victories over Olympian Jafarov, Nemes, Slavik GALSTYAN (ARM), and Mamadassa SYLLA (FRA) this season alone. Meanwhile, Elsayed has struggled since his impressive Tokyo bronze-medal run, going 7-4 in non-African competitions.

Iran's Esmaeili is replacing Tokyo Olympic champion Mohammedreza GERAEI (IRI) after winning the playoff. He almost beat Orta in Budapest and has a win over Sogabe. Iran will hope that the youngster can make a surprise run to gold as Geraei did in Tokyo.

WW 53kg: Fujinami vs the rest

When it comes to betting favorites in the 53kg Paris field, oddsmakers have singled out Akari Fujinami as the safest wrestler to put money on.

Fujinami, a 20-year-old phenom, has been unstoppable up to this point in her career. She's won 130 consecutive matches heading into Paris -- including two golds at the World Championships, golds at the Asian Championships and Asian Games, and international and domestic competitions.

Akari FUJINAMI (JPN), blue, pinned Lucia YEPEZ (ECU) at the 2023 World Championships. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

To fully understand Fujinami's dominance, just look at her 2023 season. In her 21 matches last season at the World Championships, Asian Championships, Asian Games, Zagreb Open Ranking Series and Dan Kolov, Fujinami outscored her opponents 206-7 and finished 21/21 matches by technical superiority or via fall. Furthermore, 10 of those technical superiority wins came against wrestlers with at least one world medal to their name.

The only wrestler to score a point on Fujinami last season was Lucia YEPEZ (ECU). Fujinami gave up an early 5-0 lead but scored 14 consecutive points before securing a second-period fall.

Other threats to Fujinami include Qianyu PANG (CHN), Dominique PARRISH (USA), ANTIM (IND), and Jonna MALMGREN (SWE). Pang, Malmgren, and Antim have already faced Fujinami, while a matchup between Parrish and Fujinami would be a first.

Qianyu PANG (CHN) is the returning silver medalist at 53kg. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Pang, an Olympic finalist in Tokyo, last faced Fujinami at the Asian Games, where the Japanese star won 10-0. Antim lost to Fujinami at the Asian Championships (10-0) and was pinned at the Asian Games. Malmgren and Fujinami met at the 2018 U17 World Championships, where Fujinami won 14-4.

Parrish was the 53kg world champion the year Fujinami withdrew from the World Championships. Fans and critics have long debated Parrish's world title without Fujinami's presence, leaving the American eager to face the young Japanese star.

The third day of wrestling at Paris 2024 starts on August 7. Follow @unitedworldwrestling on all social channels to stay updated on what's happening in Paris.

#WrestleParis

Paris 2024 Wrestling: Dake dominates, Zare vs Akgul in semis

Friday, August 9, 2024 - 08:43 By Ken Marantz & Vinay Siwach

PARIS (August 9) -- The Paris Olympics is closing towards its end but wrestling is still in full swing here at Champs de Mars Arena. Freestyle action in 74kg and 125kg and Women's Wrestling 62kg. In the evening session, Olympic champions will be crowned in Freestyle 57kg and 86kg and Women's Wrestling 57kg.

LIVE MATCH ORDER | PARIS 2024 DAY 4

13:23: In the final freestyle 74kg quarterfinal, Razambek JAMALOV (UZB) prevails in a thriller 6-5 when Chermen VALIEV (ALB) is assessed two penalty points for fleeing in the final seconds, the second one coming on an Uzbekistan challenge after time expired. Jamalov leads 3-2 in the second period when Valiev gets a stepout and takedown for a 5-3 lead. Jamalov gets a stepout with 1:05 left, then goes on the offensive, resulting in the first fleeing penalty. That still leaves him behind on big-point criteria, and his late aggressiveness pays off when the challenge gives him the winning point.

13:14: Sakura MOTOKI (JPN) had her hands full with Ana GODINEZ (CAN) in their women's 62kg quarterfinal, but once she got the lace lock in the second period, it was all over for the Canadian. Limited to an activity point and running out of time on a late takedown attempt in the first period, Motoki finally struck with a single-leg takedown. She then wrapped up the ankles and reeled off four rolls for an 11-0 win.

13:09: Viktor RASSADIN (TJK) earns his place in the freestyle 74kg semifinals, jumping out to a 5-0 lead and holding on for a 7-4 victory over Feng LU (CHN).

13:05: Grace BULLEN (NOR) will not be denied. She starts with a 4-p0int takedown, applies the lace lock and three rolls later, she eliminates Luisa NIEMESCH (GER) with a 10-0 victory in 1:15 to advance to the women's 62kg semifinals.

13:01: Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR) gets a shot to avenge a loss to Tynybekova in the women's 62kg semifinals in Tokyo when she gets a 4-point takedown in the first period en route to a 7-3 victory over Bilyana DUDOVA (BUL).

12:58: Daichi TAKATANI (JPN) glides into the freestyle 74kg semifinals in spectacular fashion, lifting Hetik CABOLOV (SRB) onto his shoulders and executing a balletic 4-point throw to cap a 10-0 victory with :19 left in the first period. Takatani had already scored two takedowns, adding an exposure after the second and nearly ending it with a fall.

12:53: After his high Mason PARRIS (USA), Lkhagvagerel MUNKHTUR (MGL) cannot hold the fort against Giorgi MESHVILDISHVILI (AZE) and drops 12-2. He will face Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO) in the 125kg semifinals.

12:52: Kyle DAKE (USA) looks on a mission as he manhandles Yones EMAMI (IRI), buildling up a 9-1 lead before using a counter lift to put Iranian on his back and securing a fall to advance to the freestyle 74kg semifinals. Dake scored three takedowns with a single leg in which he lits the leg high into the air and trips Emami to the mat.

12:52: Are we seeing another 'miracle' in women's wrestling? Kayla MIRACLE (USA) gets an activity point, then picks up a takedown for a 3-0 lead against 62kg favorite Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ). But adversity brings out the best in Tynybekova, and she cuts the lead with a stepout early in the second period, then gets behind and swings Miracle to the mat for a 4-point takedown. An unsuccessful challenge gives Tynybekova a 6-3 lead, but it's still not over. Miracle gets a stepout, then hits a roll through for an exposure in the final seconds. But the 4-point move holds sway for a 6-6 win on criteria that puts Tynybekova into the semifinals.

12:46: Taha AKGUL (TUR) takes his own time to beat Daniel LIGETI (HUN) and he books a semifinal spot against Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI). Both have a 1-1 head-to-head.

12:41: Chermen VALIEV (ALB) gets a stepout with four seconds left, and it's upheld on a challenge to give him a dramatic 4-3 victory over European bronze medalist Turan BAYRAMOV (AZE) for the final spot in the freestyle 74kg quarterfinals.

12:40: Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI) uses four minutes and 16 seconds to beat Amarveer DHESI (CAN) 10-0 and move into the semifinals. He awaits the winner of Taha AKGUL (TUR) and Daniel LIGETI (HUN).

12:39: World silver medalist Sakura MOTOKI (JPN), whose father was an Olympian at Sydney 2000 but did not medal, got her campaign for a place on the women's 62kg podium off to a successful start with a quick fall over Kriszta INCZE (ROU). A takedown and an arm bar and Incze was on her back, with the match ending in 37 seconds.

12:35: Ana GODINEZ (CAN) defies the home crowd when she holds on for a 5-2 win over Ameline DOUARRE (FRA) at women's 62kg. Godinez gets an activity point and two takedowns in the first period. Douarre energizes the crowd with a second-period takedown, but that will be the end of the scoring.

12:35: Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO), the returning silver medalist, opens his day with an 11-0 dominance of Oleksandr KHOTSIANIVSKYI (UKR).

12:29: Razembek JAMALOV (UZB) charges to a 6-0 lead, then holds off four-time reigning European champion Taimuraz SALKAZANOV (SVK) for an 11-3 victory in a testy match at freestyle 74kg. It was only 6-3 when Jamalov added a bunch of points in the final seconds.

12:25: Giorgi MESHVILDISHVILI (AZE) gets going with a 4-0 win over Diaaeldin ABDELMOTTALEB (EGY) and he books his spot in the quarterfinals. In the next match, Robert BARAN (POL) holds off Yusup BATIRMURZAEV (KAZ) 4-1.

12:25: European silver medalist Luisa NIEMESCH (GER) grinds out a 3-0 victory at women's 62kg over Hanbit LEE (KOR), a last-minute reallocation entry into the field. Niemesch scores a takedown while on the activity clock, then adds an activity point in the second.

12:15: European champion Grace BULLEN (NOR) gets her Olympic debut off to a good start, capping a 12-2 win over Siwar BOUSETA (TUN) with a 4-point takedown at women's 62kg.

12:15: Feng LU (CHN) allows Amr HUSSEN (EGY) to tie their freestyle 74kg match at 4-all in the first period, but breaks it open in the second with a 10-point surge for a 14-4 victory.

12:08: Orkhon PUREVDORJ (MGL), back in Paris where she won world gold in 2017, won't be leaving with the women's 62kg gold this time. Tokyo bronze medalist Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR) rallies from a 4-0 deficit in the second period, scoring a takedown and two exposures, then adding another takedown to go ahead 8-4. But it is not over. Purevdorj gets a stepout, then a counter lift with :20 left to cut the gap to one, but Koliadenko holds out for an 8-7 win.

12:04: Former world silver medalist Lkhagvagerel MUNKHTUR (MGL) brings out a huge second period to score a four-pointer and then break Mason PARRIS (USA) in the 125kg 1/8 finals. He beats Parris, who won bronze at the World Championships in 2023, 10-5 and moved into the quarterfinals.

12:03: Russian-born Asian silver medalist Viktor RASSADIN (TJK), looking to give Tajikistan just its second-ever Olympic medal, scores four takedowns in an 8-2 win over Georgios KOUGIOUMTSIDIS (GRE) at freestyle 74kg.

11:56: Bilyana DUDOVA (BUL), the 2021 world champion at 59kg, is nursing a tentative 3-2 lead in the second period against Johanna LINDBORG (SWE) at women's 62kg. Lindborg shoots for the winning takedown, but Dudova hits a 4-point counter. Lindborg forces her out for one, then loses a challenge over the exchange and Dudova walks off an 8-3 winner.

11:53: Yones EMAMI (IRI) needs to expend little energy following his tough preliminary round match at freestyle 74kg with Frank CHAMIZO (ITA), getting the takedown against Bacar NDUM (GBS) and executing four back-and-forth rolls for a 10-0 win in 1:34.

11:50: Rio Olympic champion Taha AKGUL (TUR) begins his quest for his third Olympic medal with an 11-0 win over Jonovan SMITH (PUR). Akgul will take on Ligeti in the quarterfinals of 125kg

11:44: World bronze medalist Daichi TAKATANI (JPN) scores a takedown right to a roll to finish up a 10-0 victory over Geandry GARZON (CUB) at freestyle 74kg. Takatani is trying to get the medal that eluded older brother Sohsuke in three trips to the Olympics.

11:44: Two-time world silver medalist Kayla MIRACLE (USA) gives up an early takedown to world U23 champion Nesrin BAS (TUR) at women's 62kg, but comes back with four takedowns of her own, capping the final one with a 2-point exposure for a 10-2 lead. She then adds a creative 2-point roll while under Bas on a takedown attempt. Next up for the American is Tynybekova.

11:42: Daniel LIGETI (HUN) makes it to the quarterfinal at 125kg with a top 10-0 technical superiority win over Ashton MUTUWA (NGR).

11:40: World bronze medalist Hetik CABOLOV (SRB) finishes off a 10-0 victory at freestyle 74kg with his second takedown-gut wrench combo, knocking out Refugee Team member Iman MAHDAVI (EOR) in 2:49.

11:33: Tokyo bronze medalist Kyle DAKE (USA) makes short work of Anthony MONTERO (VEN) in his bid for an elusive gold at freestyle 74kg, combining takedowns with gut wrenches for a 10-0 win in 2:20.

11:33: Top seed and reigning world champion Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) gets her campaign started at women's 62kg Tokyo Olympic silver medalist has her hands full with Esther KOLAWOLE (NGR), but comes away with a 5-3 victory. Tynybekova falls behind 1-1 on criteria early in the second period when she gives up a stepout. She comes back with a stepout of her own, then uses a cradle to secure a takedown. Kolawole scores a takedown in the last seconds, then loses a dubious challenge to give Tynybekova her final point.

11:36: Amarveer DHESI (CAN) manages to get two technical points over Zhiwei DENG (CHN) and win his 125kg bout 2-1 and book a place in the quarterfinals against Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI).

11:28: World champion and returning bronze medalist Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI) begins his day with a 5-0 win over Aiaal LAZAREV (KGZ). Not much troubled Zare in that bout.

11:27: Razambek JAMALOV (UZB) breaks open a close match at freestyle 74kg to knock off Tokyo silver medalist Mahamedkhabib KADZIMAHAMEDAU (AIN) 8-0. With a 2-0 lead heading into the second period, Jamalov gets in deep on a double, lifts up and back to put Kadzimahamedau onto his back for 2. He then adds a takedown and gut wrench for good measure.

11:21: In the two repechage bouts on Mat C, Javrail SHAPIEV (UZB) takes out Alexander MOORE (CAN) 6-1 and Dauren KURUGLIEV (GRE) wins 10-0 against Jayden LAWRENCE (AUS). Both Shapiev and Kurugliev book spots in the bronze medal bouts.

11:20: Giullia PENALBER (BRA) fills the final place in the women's 57kg bronze-medal matches with a 7-0 victory over Sandra PARUSZEWSKI (GER). Penalber gets a 4-point takedown and a regular takedown in the second period. She will face Kexin HONG (CHN) for the bronze.

11:18: Fans get an early treat with a clash between veteran and two-time former world champion Frank CHAMIZO (ITA) and two-time world medalist Yones EMAMI (IRI) in a preliminary round match at freestyle 74kg, which has 18 entries. Chamizo, a bronze medalist at Rio 2016, takes a 4-3 lead in the first period with a pair of scores of some wild scrambles. But Emami charges back, getting a 4-point takedown off a single-leg and adds another takedown for a 9-4 win.

11:10: In the opener on Mat B, Hannah TAYLOR (CAN) is in control all the way in rolling to a 13-0 victory over Luisa VALVERDE (ECU) in a women's 57kg repechage, clinching it with a 4-point takedown. She will try to win her first Olympic medal by keeping Helen MAROULIS (USA) from winning her third in the bronze-medal match.

11:06: The action on Mat A opens with the lone repechage match at freestyle 57kg. Bekzat ALMAZ UULU (KGZ) spots Wanhao ZOU (CHN) a four-point lead, but catches him with a pancake to get the fall with :24 left in the first period. He will face Golomjon ABDULLAEV (UZB) for the bronze later tonight.

10:55: Welcome to day five of wrestling at the Paris Olympics. We advise you to click on the match order of the day and have your minds blown!

Paris 2024 Wrestling Day 3 Preview: GR 67kg and 87kg; WW 53kg

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Paris 2024 Wrestling: Dake dominates, Zare vs Akgul in semis